The second One Day International between India and Sri Lanka became an interesting contest only because of a single person who bagged 5 wickets in the span of 13 balls. Akila Dananjaya. He ended up with a 6-fer against India, which allowed the dominant hosts the first time to give a headache to the visitors. Virat Kohli-led India won the toss and opted to field first. The hosts managed to cobble up 237 runs, which didn’t seem enough. India began the pursuit and was looking to score a runaway win. That is when India was reduced from 108 for 1 to 131 for 7 in no time. The match had turned on its head because of Akila Dananjaya. However, Sri Lanka did not go on to win the match despite being in a position of strength because of great commitment shown by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
But Akila has announced himself at the world stage. So who is this mystery spinner who nearly polished off India at the blink of an eye?
Here are five startling facts about the new mystery spinner in the block for Sri Lanka:
International debut ahead of first class debut: That makes him unique as very few players have done this in the past. He was first spotted and selected for a T20I versus New Zealand, way back in 2012. A year later in 2013, he made his first-class debut for Colts Cricket Club against Ragama Cricket Club.
Mahela Jayawardena pushed his case: One of the most impactful batsmen from Sri Lanka, Mahela Jayawardena, was impressed by his set of skills and asked to push for his selection. He used to be a net bowler in the past. It was only on Jayawardena’s request that he was selected for the ICC World T20 in 2012.
A Chennai Super Kings man: Yes, you may not have seen him in the yellow jersey, but he was selected for CSK in 2013 auctions. He was sold for a base price of $20,000, which approximately sums up to Rs. 10.5 Lakh.
@bhogleharsha : Where was #AkilaDananjaya hiding?
Russel, tkingg it literally!: Well, he wasnt hiding!? __#INDvsSRI pic.twitter.com/C9oqEq6xmg— LollerCoaster (@LollerC) August 24, 2017
Secret of #Bhubaneswar ‘s performance today #INDvSL #AkilaDananjaya #Bhuvi #Dhoni #Kohli pic.twitter.com/rz6sHtD78V
— Prakash (@Prakashzzzzz) August 24, 2017
The ball struck on his face: In his debut match against New Zealand, on Akita’s delivery, New Zealand batsman Rob Nicol hit the ball straight back at Akila, who could not react quickly and the ball went on to hit his face. His cheek bone was injured. That is what did not allow him to take further part in the tournament.
Aww.. Gets married yesterday and gets the man of the match today.. #AkilaDananjaya #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/iXxxNJxcNW
— Aiyappa CG (@yaps9) August 24, 2017
Married 24 hours before the game: This is shocking! Akila Dananjaya apparently married 24 hours before the 2nd ODI against India. He tied the knot with Nethali Tekshini. He was not a part of the team in the first ODI but was later picked for the second ODI, which proved to be the best of his career.
